Brake-beam



(No Model.) r

H. G. WILLIAMSON.-

BRAKE BEAM. I No. 565,060. b Patented Aug. 4,1896.

fi 'fit 6556,6 Imam for" UNITED STATES PATENT Erica.

HENRY C. WILLIAMSON, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

BRAKE-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,060, dated August4, 1896.

Application filed March 6, 1896.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. WILLIAnsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Michigan City, county of La Porte, and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake-Beams, ofwhich the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of beams which are formed of metal ofcommercial shapes, assembled together in such a manner as to constitutea united whole.

Specifically stated, the object of my invention is to produce a beam ofthis class which will be of moderate cost, eflicient strength, simpleconstruction, and easily repaired, and which will occupy less room nextthe wheels than constructions of a similar kind heretofore proposed.

To the accomplishment of the above-mentioned desirable objects,particularly the last, my invention consists of certain combinationswhich will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

The nature of my improvements will be more clearly seen, however, by anexamination of the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a planview of the beam as a whole. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, it will be seen that ingeneral my beam consists of a compression member at, a tension member 5,a strut l3, and two brake shoe heads or end pieces 7 7. The compressionmember at is preferably rectangular in crosssection, with its verticalgreater than its horizontal diameter, this arrangement being adoptedwith a View to securing the maximum degree of strength against verticaldistortion. The tension member 5 is preferably made of a round rod,this, as well as the compression member, being clearly shown in sectionin Fig. 2.

Fig. 8, which is made on a larger scale than the other two figures,illustrates the method of arranging and combining the compressionmember, the tension member, and the end piece. As will be clearly seenby an examination of this figure, the compression mem- Serial No.582,083. (No model.)

ber 4 extends only part way through the end piece 7, its end 8 abuttingagainst the outer wall of the casting 7 to afford an efficient stop. Thetension member 5 passes entirely through the end casting 7, in a lineapproximately parallel with and adjacent to the compression member i.The outer ends of the tension member, as shown, are held bya nut 9, butas the precise method of fastening the end of the tension member againstwithdrawal from the end casting does not form an essential part ofmyinventiou it is obvious that any of the well-known methods used insecuring the ends of such pieces could be substituted, such, forexample, as a slot and key. At the point 10, where the tension memher 5first enters the end casting 7, the opening-made to receive it is curvedoutwardly, this being done partly to prevent any danger of a cuttingaction or breaking effect on the tension member when it is put understrain and partly to aid in securely holding the end piece '7 fromrotating around the axis of the beam.

It will be noticed that the end pieces are integral with the brake-shoeheads. To explain this it is to be observed that on many trucks theamount of room in which a brakeshoe head can be put is exceedinglylimited, as, for example, next the middle pair of wheels of asix-wheeled passenger-truck. By making the end pieces integral with thebrakeshoe heads I am enabled to materially reduce the size of the parts,thus not only saving metal, but also enabling the use of my form of beamin places where a beam having a larger head either could not be used atall or else would have to be hung so low as to cause serious trouble inthe operation of the brake, such as flat wheels, or damage to the beamand brake connections caused by its striking projections in the roadwayor couplerpieces Which may have fallen from disconnection of the train.

In the manufacture of a beam in accordauce with my invention the partsare put together in the manner clearly shown in the drawings, the nuts 9being drawn just sulficiently tight to bring the tension member closeagainst the curved portion 10 of the end piece 7. To avoid placing anyundue strain on the tension-rod 5, the compression member is made withthe requisite camber before the parts are put together.

It will be seen that by the above-described method of forming andcombining the different parts I secure a fastening at the ends of thebeam which requires little expense to manufacture, and it is at the sametime rigid and secure. It is further to be noted that the structure soformed can very readily be taken apart when it is required to replaceany broken piece.

As shown, the strut 6 is of a construction very commonly used, and theshoe 11 is of the ordinary Christie type, but either of these parts maybe altered as desired Without in any manner departing from the spirit ofmy invention, and While I prefer to use a rectangular compression memberand a round tension member on account of their simplicity, othersuitable shapes might be substituted, if desired, and combined with theend pieces in the manner I have shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a brake-beam, the combination with acompression member; tensionmember; and strut; of end pieces having sockets adapted to receive saidmembers, said sockets being so made as to permit the compression memberto pass partially through said end pieces and abut against the outerwalls thereof, and the tension member to pass entirely through said endpieces and be secured against withdrawal therefrom by suitable means,the sockets at the point of entrance of the tension member being curvedoutwardly and the tension member being curved to conform to the curvesof the sockets, substantially as described.

2. In a brake-beam the combination with the compression member, andtension member, of an end piece having a socket adapted to receive saidmembers, said socket at the point of entrance of the tension memberbeing curved outwardly, the tension member being curved to conform tothe curve of the socket, and a brake-shoe head formed integral with saidend piece.

HENRY O. WILLIAMSON.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY M. BARNES, WALTER J. OGDEN.

